- “JR” is not one company. In April 1987, Japanese National Railways (JNR) was split and privatized into six regional passenger companies and one freight company (Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, MLIT)
- The passenger companies are JR Hokkaido, JR East, JR Central, JR West, JR Shikoku and JR Kyushu. JR Freight carries freight, not passengers
- Because each company covers its own region, regional passes and some rules change when you cross into another company’s area — for example, the JR EAST PASS and JR West’s JR-WEST RAIL PASS cannot be used on the Tokaido Shinkansen (JR Central)
- The Japan Rail Pass is the one pass offered jointly by all six passenger companies
Pick a company to highlight its lines (and show only its card below):
| Line | Route | Company |
|---|---|---|
| Tokaido Shinkansen | Tokyo – Shin-Osaka | JR Central |
| Sanyo Shinkansen | Shin-Osaka – Hakata | JR West |
| Tohoku Shinkansen | Tokyo – Shin-Aomori | JR East |
| Hokkaido Shinkansen | Shin-Aomori – Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto | JR Hokkaido |
| Joetsu Shinkansen | Tokyo – Niigata | JR East |
| Yamagata Shinkansen | Tokyo – Shinjo | JR East |
| Akita Shinkansen | Tokyo – Akita | JR East |
| Hokuriku Shinkansen | Tokyo – Joetsumyoko Joetsumyoko – Kanazawa – Tsuruga | JR East JR West |
| Kyushu Shinkansen | Hakata – Kagoshima-Chuo | JR Kyushu |
| Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen | Takeo-Onsen – Nagasaki | JR Kyushu |
JR Shikoku has no Shinkansen line. The Hokkaido Shinkansen is in JR Hokkaido’s own list of lines, and the Kyushu and Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen are in JR Kyushu’s.
- Nozomi, Hikari and Kodama run on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen. Nozomi trains run through from Tokyo to Hiroshima and Hakata, crossing from JR Central to JR West without a change
- Mizuho and Sakura run through from the Sanyo Shinkansen onto the Kyushu Shinkansen at Hakata
- The Hokuriku Shinkansen changes from JR East to JR West at Joetsumyoko. Kagayaki and Hakutaka trains run through from Tokyo to Tsuruga (the Kanazawa – Tsuruga section opened on 16 March 2024)
- The Hokkaido Shinkansen continues onto the Tohoku Shinkansen at Shin-Aomori, with trains to and from Tokyo
- At Tokyo Station, the Tokaido Shinkansen (JR Central) and the Tohoku Shinkansen (JR East) are separate lines — you change trains
- Even when your trip crosses JR companies, the fare is calculated on the total distance of the whole trip (MLIT)
- Luggage rules differ too: on the Tokaido, Sanyo, Kyushu and Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen, luggage over 160cm in total needs a reserved seat with an oversized baggage area → Shinkansen luggage: size limits and reservations
All six use the “JR” name, but each runs its own region and names its own corporate color.
Pick a company to see only its card (the map above highlights its lines):
JR Hokkaido · Light green
Hokkaido
🚄 Shinkansen: Hokkaido Shinkansen
💳 IC card: Kitaca
🎫 Pass: Hokkaido Rail Pass
The Hokkaido Shinkansen opened in 2016 and links up with the Tohoku Shinkansen: Tokyo – Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto in as little as 3 hours 57 minutes. The extension to Sapporo is expected around the end of fiscal 2038.
JR East · Green
Tokyo area, Tohoku, Niigata, Nagano
🚄 Shinkansen: Tohoku, Joetsu, Yamagata, Akita, Hokuriku (to Joetsumyoko)
💳 IC card: Suica
🎫 Pass: JR EAST PASS, JR TOKYO Wide Pass
Five Shinkansen lines start from Tokyo. Its Welcome Suica is an IC card made for short-term visitors (see below).
JR Central · Orange
Tokaido Shinkansen, Nagoya area
🚄 Shinkansen: Tokaido
💳 IC card: TOICA
🎫 Pass: Area tourist passes
The Tokaido Shinkansen links Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka: Tokyo – Shin-Osaka in as little as 2 hours 21 minutes.
JR West · Blue
Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Hokuriku
🚄 Shinkansen: Sanyo, Hokuriku (Joetsumyoko – Tsuruga)
💳 IC card: ICOCA
🎫 Pass: JR-WEST RAIL PASS
Runs the Sanyo Shinkansen to Hakata and the western Hokuriku Shinkansen, extended from Kanazawa to Tsuruga in March 2024. JR West says ICOCA can be used all across Japan on railways and buses.
JR Shikoku · Light blue
Shikoku
🚄 Shinkansen: None
💳 IC card: — (its English site points to ICOCA)
🎫 Pass: ALL SHIKOKU Rail Pass
The only JR passenger company with no Shinkansen line.
JR Kyushu · Red
Kyushu
🚄 Shinkansen: Kyushu, Nishi-Kyushu
💳 IC card: SUGOCA
🎫 Pass: JR Kyushu Rail Pass
Runs two Shinkansen lines. For Nagasaki, you change between a limited express and the Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen at Takeo-Onsen.
Regions are a rough guide; areas overlap at the edges. The color bars are this site’s approximations of the colors each company names. The illustrations are decorative and do not show real trains.
Japan Rail Pass — a joint offering of all six JR passenger companies. Prices bought online (checked on 3 November 2026):
| Days | Ordinary car | Green car |
|---|---|---|
| 7 days | 50,000 yen | 70,000 yen |
| 14 days | 80,000 yen | 110,000 yen |
| 21 days | 100,000 yen | 140,000 yen |
- Children (6–11 at the time of use) pay half. Buying from an overseas sales agent costs a little more
- Who can use it: tourists entering Japan as a “temporary visitor” (and some Japanese nationals living abroad). You need a “Temporary Visitor” stamp or sticker in your passport — automated gates at the airport don’t apply one, so use a staffed gate or ask an officer for the stamp
- Nozomi and Mizuho are not covered by the pass alone: pass holders buy a special ticket (for example, Tokyo – Shin-Osaka 4,960 yen one way)
Regional passes — each company sells its own, and many don’t cover other JR companies’ lines. Some examples from the official pages:
| Company | Passes | Watch out |
|---|---|---|
| JR Hokkaido | Hokkaido Rail Pass and area passes | The Hokkaido Rail Pass cannot be used on the Hokkaido Shinkansen |
| JR East | JR EAST PASS, JR TOKYO Wide Pass and others | The JR EAST PASS cannot be used on the Tokaido Shinkansen |
| JR Central | Area tourist passes (Mt. Fuji–Shizuoka, Takayama–Hokuriku and others) | Check each pass’s area |
| JR West | JR-WEST RAIL PASS (Kansai WIDE Area Pass, Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass and others) | Not valid on the Tokaido Shinkansen (Shin-Osaka – Tokyo). The Kansai-Hokuriku Area Pass covers the Hokuriku Shinkansen only between Tsuruga and Joetsumyoko |
| JR Shikoku | ALL SHIKOKU Rail Pass | JR Shikoku announced changes to its conditions and prices on 29 October 2026 — check the official page |
| JR Kyushu | JR Kyushu Rail Pass (All, Northern and Southern Kyushu) | Cannot be used on the Sanyo Shinkansen between Hakata and Kokura |
Pass prices and conditions can change. Check the official page before you buy.
| Card | Issued by |
|---|---|
| Kitaca | JR Hokkaido |
| Suica | JR East |
| TOICA | JR Central |
| ICOCA | JR West |
| SUGOCA | JR Kyushu |
- One card works in the IC card areas across Japan, but a single trip cannot cross from one IC card area into another (JR Central, JR Kyushu and JR Hokkaido)
🪪 Welcome Suica — JR East’s IC card for visitors
Where to get the card: places such as JR EAST Travel Service Centers (including Narita, Haneda Terminal 3, Tokyo, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, Ueno, Yokohama and Sendai) and Welcome Suica machines at Narita and Haneda Terminal 3 — see JR East’s Welcome Suica page for the full list. The mobile version: Welcome Suica Mobile.
Spend it before you leave Japan — the balance cannot be refunded.
- A regular Suica has a 500-yen deposit, and its balance can be refunded
Each company publishes its own operation information. If your trip crosses companies, check both — for example, JR East Shinkansen operation information or JR West Sanyo Shinkansen operation information. For the Kyushu Shinkansen, check JR Kyushu’s official site.
Carrying big bags? → Shinkansen luggage · Sending them ahead? → Sending your luggage in Japan
- MLIT: 30 years since the split and privatization of JNR (Japanese)
- MLIT: Hokuriku Shinkansen fares and company boundary (Japanese)
- JR Central: About the Shinkansen · JR Central: Nozomi · JR Central: Series 315 (Japanese) · JR Central: TOICA
- JR East: Train information · JR East: press release (Japanese) · JR East: Suica · JR East: Welcome Suica · JR East: Welcome Suica Mobile · JR East: Passes
- JR West: Tokaido-Sanyo Shinkansen · JR West: JR-WEST RAIL PASS · JR West: Kansai-Hokuriku Area Pass · JR West: ICOCA · JR West: corporate color (Japanese)
- JR Hokkaido: lines (Japanese) · JR Hokkaido: Hokkaido Shinkansen (Japanese) · JR Hokkaido: Rail passes · JR Hokkaido: Kitaca · JR Hokkaido: press release (Japanese)
- JR Shikoku: English site · JR Shikoku: ALL SHIKOKU Rail Pass changes (29 October 2026) · JR Shikoku: press release (Japanese)
- JR Kyushu: lines (Japanese) · JR Kyushu: JR Kyushu Rail Pass · JR Kyushu: Relay Kamome (to Nagasaki) · JR Kyushu: SUGOCA areas (Japanese) · JR Kyushu: corporate color (Japanese)
- Japan Rail Pass: About · Japan Rail Pass: Eligibility for use · Japan Rail Pass: Prices · Japan Rail Pass: Special ticket for Nozomi and Mizuho
Checked on 3 November 2026. Routes, passes and prices can change; check the official pages.